Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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(Reposting here because first try was in the wrong section! & fyi I don't know how to delete the first one!)
Well its been quite a week.. Since our discharge sheet did not specify how long to keep up the medication schedule for, we were just giving the same until they ran out. Well we ran low so I called the Vet hospital where we had her surgery yesterday to inquire if we should start weaning down at all. They checked her chart & informed us that she should be fine by now & not need them! wth? She probably only needed the meds for the first 5-7 days after surgery. Well that would have been nice to know sooner!!! 
So my poor Kylie has been on full meds for an extra 5 days! No wonder she was so tired and slow moving. I thought maybe she was still in pain, Nope! Just drugged up!! 
So NO MORE Tramadol. She was on 100mg X 3 day! Plus the Metacam once daily.
Today is 13 days post-op and she had her sutures out at our local Vet! They were so pleased at the job the surgeon did. She looks great! And of course much perkier since she's not high as a kite lol We are to stay on just the Metacam now for 2 more weeks. Then move to 'as needed' basis. We were allowed to start taking her for a real walk tonight!! Only up to 10mins for now. Well Omg you have never seen such a happy 9yr old lab! She rocked the tripawd hop-walk! 
Its like she was looking around proud, look at me neighbours! I'm back baby! lol I took some video as my husband walked her.
Still officially waiting for the biopsy results but pretty sure its Osteosarcoma & she will need chemo next. For now we're just so happy to have our perky happy girl back. The ladies at the Vet office today were eating her up. I felt like we brought a celebrity in to visit. 
About how soon after the surgery do they like to start chemo? That's not going to be cheap either. But she's so worth it! 
~Chris & Kylie xo
p.s. whats with the "maximum number of smiley" being only 5???
Well it is better to be on top of the pain so perhaps that was a blessing in disguise!! She looks great. Walking like a champ! And LOL at slow down ... Tripawds tend to move much faster to propel themselves!!! 🙂
So glad your recovery is going so well!
Hugs!
alison with spirit shelby in her heart
Shelby Lynne; Jack Russell/Shiba Inu mix. Proud member of the April Angels of 2014.
October 15, 2000 to April 8, 2014
Our story: Broke rear leg in June 2013 - non-conclusive results for cancer so leg was plated and pinned. Enlarged spleen in September 2013 and had it removed and was diagnosed with Hemangiosarcoma and started chemotherapy. Became a Tripawd January 8th, 2014 and definitive Hemangiosarcoma diagnosis. Three major surgeries in 7 months and Shelby took them all like a champ only to lose her battle to cancer in her brain. We had 8 amazing extra months together and no regrets. #shelbystrong #loveofmylife
Congrats on sutures out! That is a huge milestone in the recovery process. Yes, take things easy and slowly work up her activity level. Check out the gear blog for ideas on exercise and fitness if you are interested.
Most pups here are on pain meds for two weeks at least. A few lucky pups can go off sooner, but just as many need them for 3 weeks so Kylie is right in the 'normal' pain med ball park, at least for this community.
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
p.s. I deleted the other post for you.
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Murphy took his meds for 2 weeks, weaning down during the 2nd week, so you're ok still.
Yeah for sutures coming out! And Kylie sure is rocking the Tripawd walk! Good Job! She looks great!
I think most people start chemo once they get the results from the biopsy back, just to make sure what type of cancer it was. That way they get the appropriate chemo. Murphy's wasn't osteosarcoma, he had histiocytic sarcoma, so he had a different chemo.
Donna
Donna, Glenn & Murphy
Murphy had his right front leg amputated due to histiocytic sarcoma at 7 years old. He survived 4 years, 2 months & 1 week, only to be taken by hemangiosarcoma at 11 1/2 years 6/12/17
Read about Murphy's Life on Three Legs
Such a sweet post. Congrats! I know your joy! Honestly I have found in the last few weeks that my sweet ted is almost more comfortable in a little trot than he is walking - which must be why he is doing that all over the place!! So glad she's doing well. Fingers crossed for your biopsy results.
Wanda
Look at Kylie go!! WOW!! She IS a ROCK STAR CELEBRITY!!! 🙂
My Happy Hannah started Carboplatin three weeks after her amputation for osteosarcoma. Some start around the two week mark. Just talk to her Onco for their recommendations.
Okay, as far as limiting the number of smiley faces to five! It was a sad day round here when the Admin Guy did that. Well.....apparently....using a lot of smiley faces takes up broadwidth (something to do with computers). Rumor has it that thumbuddy arpund here used a lot...a whole lot of smiley faces! Not anymore though!!
Love!
Thumbuddy 🙂
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Good morning and thanks for the replies!
Haha thumbuddy, looks like we have a lot in common 
Thanks Karen for deleting my other post! Apparently I'm still figuring things out on here 😄
Thanks everyone for the replies & words of encouragement. Again! 
I do recall it being easier for tripawds to walk quicker than slower because of momentum factor. I couldn't help but say slow down in the video because she surprised me at how quickly she took Off! Lol also if you haven't figured it out by now.. I'm a worry wart
So we have another setback.. Since suture removal day (third) when I posted, she also had stopped the tramadol well now we're having trouble getting her to eat her food and she puked up her dry food yesterday morning. Also she's slower moving at times, so not sure she's in pain or what. Or if she did need some weaning off. (I did ask Vet that at the time but they assured me she should be fine) luckily she will still eat canned food (which is a big treat for her she never gets) but even then she will only have maybe 1/4-1/2 a can. At least it's enough to squirt the metacam on. So I know she got her meds today. I will have to call the Vet today & ask some questions. Also want to start the chemo asap if she's ready. This is still all so stressful! It's so not like her to not have an appetite. It worries me and of course first thing I think is the cancer spreading 
~Chris & Kylie xo
Not eating could be a sign of pain, or she could be tired.
How much activity are you allowing her now? If she went from almost nothing to even short walks she could be sore. It does take a new Tripawd awhile to get used to their new gait and balance and build strength and endurance.
In my non-vet opinion 5 to 7 days, even 10 to 13 days is too soon to stop pain meds after such a major surgery, although tapering down around day 12 or 13 often makes sense. I know some vets don't think animals need as much pain meds but that is not consistent with recent studies. As I said earlier, some pups seem to need them for less time, but it sounds like Kylie might be showing some signs of pain. Here is very recent blog post on the Pain Signs in Cats and Dogs, lot of great info there on what to look for as far as pain signs.
My current Tripawd Elly is a little pug mix rear amp. I have difficulty keeping up with her, she often has to stop and wait for me and she gives me that 'come on mom!' look 
And we definitely get the 'worry wort' thing. Once you are dealing with cancer all those things that you might never have noticed are now cause for concern!!
Karen and the Spirit Pug Girls
Tri-pug Maggie survived a 4.5 year mast cell cancer battle only to be lost to oral melanoma.
1999 to 2010
Hi,
I started to write the other day when I saw the post about dropping Tramadol so early and quickly, but I didn't finish my post. Then I saw today's. My non-vet opinion is that Kylie is sore. Below is our experience that I shared 2 weeks ago with another person. Hopefully, it helps you to see how long some of us used drugs, and our ups and downs.
Old post begins.....
Milo's front leg amputation was July 28. He took his last Gabapentin (for now) just 2 days ago on August 31.
Milo had 2 steps back during his recovery (again, so far.)
His first big slide back started around Day 9, and he kept sliding through Day 12. Hindsight, we cut the drugs too quickly. I did exactly what the surgeon said, but that was too fast for Milo. He hurt, so he wouldn't move much, which probably made him tighter and made it worse. Even as we kicked the drugs back up, he still wouldn't move. The vet had us kick his Tramadol to max one night. He was over-zonked! He slept really well, though. The next day he had a very long, very busy day at Tufts with a lot of walking. And then he was better. I think it was probably all the walking that finally got the kinks out, and maybe the one drugged out night helped? We've made an effort to make sure he does at least a walk around the house every day since.
The second slide was Day 18 or so. He started whining more, and yelping every time he stood up and sometimes when he sat down. Those yelps in the middle of the night give you an adrenalin kick! We added an NSAID, Derramax to his meds. It's the closest you get to doggie ibuprofen for overdoing things, or tweaking a muscle. He took it for about 4 or 5 days and has been great ever since, and have a few more for future overdone days.
I also try to spend about 5-10 minutes each morning massaging and stretching his body for him. So far, so good. Fingers crossed....
If it helps, here's how our drug protocol went. Milo is ~75 pound Australian Labradoodle, who had a bad reaction to Metacam prior to surgery, so we tried to avoid NSAIDs like Rimadyl which many dogs have.
- He came home with Fentanyl patch, and Gabapentin 300mg x 3 a day.
- Day 7 pulled Fentanyl, maintained Gabapentin, added Tramadol 50mg x 2 a day.
- Day 9 upped Tramadol 100mg x 2 a day. Same Gabapentin.
- Day 11 experimented with Tramadol at 150mg in a dose -- too much for him.
- Day 12 back to 100mg x 2 a day. Same Gabapentin.
- Day 15 started tapering back on Tramadol (Milo may be the unusual case of fever with Tramadol)
- Day 18 just Gabapentin, still 300mg x 3 a day
- Day 21 added Derramax once a day for a few days.
- Day 26 finally cut Gabapentin to 2 x a day, then eventually to 1 x a day.
- Day 35 - drug free!
I know this is long with a lot of detail, but I thought it might help seeing how another dog was up and down, and how long we had a variety of drugs, with the mix changing based on his reaction to them, and his changing activity level.
.... end old post.
We are now day 50ish. Milo is doing great. We started the day with a long massage and strtchin session, then went for a walk around the neighborhood. He had a few slow, sore days early this week, so I gave him Derramax for 2 days. He's taken 7 Derramax pills in ~30 days. I just got 10 more from the vet to have on hand for those "did too much, achy days".
Hang tight. It's still early. Don't fear using drugs if Kylie needs them. She doesn't have the means to become an addict.
Peace,
Jenifer & Milo
Thanks to you both for the added advice. I called the Vet hospital where she had the surgery & asked about the biopsy results & when to start chemo, but they're only open for emergency service on weekends, so they left a message for the Dr for us and they will call us back Monday.
As for the meds, my husband wonders if she's already almost off them, ie, withdrawal almost done then maybe she'll feel better soon.?'Maybe wishful thinking? He was Leary of her getting back on them.but if she's in pain then that's fine by us. Again, will need to ask our own vet on Monday. Sigh.
I like to think her loss of appetite is not due to pain. But maybe it is.. We've been able to hand feed her alot today. But she's just not interested in eating it from her bowl? 
It's really hard to read them sometimes..
Hey there, just now catching up on how things have been with Kylie. It does sound like it could be pain related and she could use more medication for a longer period of time. There's nothing wrong with that, some dogs just need to be on it longer. But, will she eat from the bowl if you put something crazy good in there, like boiled chicken or cheese? If she'll do that, then it could be that it's time to back off from the hand-feeding. I know, it's a fine line between babying and helping. Try that and see if it works.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
yes, guilty as charged regarding the babying As a pet parent, sometimes you just want to see them eat, and you don't care how you get it done But yes, if I put the canned food in there, she will eat some from the bowl but not all. So I have hand fed her that too! haha! I agree about it being pain related. We noticed even more so this afternoon that she is walking very slow & looks uncomfortable. She is not getting up to follow us around as she normally does. Lots of sleeping today. So no more walks for us. Its back to short leashed potty breaks in the yard the next couple days. Also, our Vet is open 2hrs only on Sundays (for boarding pick up & food sales only!) But I have a friend who is a Vet Tech there, so I asked if they'd refill her Tramadol without seeing the Vet and she checked our file & agreed she could. 🙂 So we're off to pick that up now & hoping once she has less pain, her appetite will return. I have been trying to give her a few quick massages throughout the day as well, she seems to like that.
Oh good you got the refill. Keep in mind it will decrease appetite and do not put it IN her food, it's very bitter tasting. Hide it and administer separately so she doesn't associate Tramadol with mealtime OK? A little loss of appetite is really quite normal.
Don't worry, we're all guilty of babying. You know what to do now, so keep calm and you'll start t see her bounce back.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Hi,
Milo went through a period where he got sore because we cut the meds too fast (followed surgeon's directions, but Milo wasn't ready.) Even when we spooled the drugs back up, he still didn't want to move because of stiffness from the sore days. We had to work it out with stretching and moving.
As you work to get Kylie comfortable again, keep stretching and massage in mind.
Peace,
Jenifer & Milo
Thank you for the advice and tips!
It's the metacam that we add to her food because it's liquid (& apparently yummy tasting) so my problem was the fact that she wasn't eating and Vet said both metacam & the Tramadol should be taken with food. The Tramadol isn't a problem because I always hide the pill in a piece of bread with peanut butter (her most favourite thing)
Jenifer, I have been trying to gently massage Kylie here and there but I'm unable to stretch her because she will only lie on her good leg (with the amputated stub up) so I can't get to the good leg. I think that's also why she gets up to change position so often, even during night, it's gotta be so sore to always lie I the same side. We see her occasionally TRY very hard to lay on the amp side but she gets so close down then last second changes her mind switches to the usual side.
Do any of your amputees lay on their amp side now? Like after some healing time?. I'm guessing it freaks her out that she doesn't have a leg to push herself backup on if she lays on the non leg side.
She has her first Chemo appt. this Thursday and holy crap u should see the quote. 
We were totally misled on cost at time of surgery. They sure take advantage of pet parents who would do anything to keep their best friends longer with a better quality of life. I guess I got in the wrong line of work!
Her protocol is Doxorubicin and Carboplatin. Any thoughts?? Experiences? Good? Bad?
~Chris & Kylie xo
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